[IrishAmerican30+toEurope]

Hi, I'm a 31 year old American college graduate. I served 5 years active duty in the U.S. military before college and have worked in warehousing and construction since receiving my degree in 2010. I've never worked a job that required a college degree and that doesn't seem to be on the horizon without further education.

My degree is in Political Science and while it's obviously not very marketable, it's been brutal with this recession.


My parents are from Ireland and I've been told that entitles me to a Euro passport. I am moving out to Los Angeles, California next week to stay with my friend and make one last push for a white collar career.

I have thought about moving to Europe for some time now. Unfortunately the economy in Ireland is not that good and the competition for locals to get a job seems to be especially fierce. My cousins there have mostly gone abroad (they actually have skills like Engineering) and advise against moving to Ireland any time soon.


I saw an Anthony Bourdain special featuring the cuisine of Denmark with special attention to Copenhagen. I was surprised to see so many chefs from Ireland, Australia and the UK there. It made me wonder if I could be a chef there?

I know this all sounds quite silly but other than teaching English, I don't see what I could bring to the table. Any job I would get would have to be very simple, as I speak no other language than English...

 

[Bevdeforges]

Have already answered your question about visas in your other thread, but what you're seeing in those Anthony Bourdain shows is the result of the EU "freedom of movement" thing. (Many Australians have European family through which they can claim a European passport.)

But one thing about Europe is that for professions like "chef" you usually need the formal training to break in initially. It may be possible to get into a training program in Europe and see where it takes you. Like anything, however, there are no guarantees - and at the upper levels, cooking can be a real cutthroat business.

Teaching English isn't a terribly well paid gig, especially in Europe. You'd do best if you had some sort of teaching or teaching English qualification (TEFL, TESOL or the Cambridge program). And, quite frankly, the economy here is tough, particularly on young people looking for a first job in their field.

If you can swing it, you may want to consider making an initial visit over here to travel around and get a first hand feel for what your opportunities might be.
Cheers,
Bev